Tag: Is This Legal? The Inside Story of The First UFC From The Man Who Created It 2014

Last weekend, the visionary behind the UFC, entrepreneur, author Art Davie was inducted into the Legends of MMA Hall of Fame in Reno, Nevada. This year’s other inductees included Pat Miletich, Rickson Gracie, Big John McCarthy and Fedor Emelianeko. MMA personalities including Frank Shamrock, Dan Severn, Jens Pulver, Sean Wheelock, Monte Cox and Stephen Quadros were also in attendance.
We recently had Art on CYInterview talking about his new book Is This Legal? and the beginnings of the Ultimate Fighting Championship [see here].

It is possible you would never have heard the names Randy Couture, Chuck Lidell, Ken Shamrock, Tito Ortiz, Dan Severn or Royce Gracie, along with so many others, if it were not for Art Davie. It can also be said that Mixed Martial Arts might not have reached the mainstream in America without him. For years, the entrepreneur imagined putting on a tournament of the best fighters in the world, bringing together men of all backgrounds from a variety of martial arts traditions including boxing and even sumo wrestling.
By becoming a student at the school of the legendary Brazilian jiu-jitsu family, the Gracies, and befriending them, Art was able to convince them that his notion of a best of the best fighters tournament would put their fighting style on the map.
Everything came together on November 12th, 1993, in Denver, Colorado, when the first UFC was held. This coming weekend, 21 years after it all began, Mr. Davie will be inducted into the Legends of MMA Hall of Fame in Reno, Nevada.